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UPS Inc. and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters have reached a tentative agreement on a new five-year contract that will cover an estimated 11,000 UPS Freight employees, the package delivery giant and union announced July 13.

PITTSBURGH — Charles Hammel III says he owes much of his family’s success in the trucking business to those who came before he and his brother Robert established Pitt Ohio Express in 1979.

It was not so long ago that home delivery of products such as furniture, mattresses and televisions was straightforward and rigid, with few choices for customers.

There were big gains all around for the nation’s largest for-hire carriers, some driven by acquisitions and some by expansion in response to vigorous growth in demand for freight hauling.

Details of a tentative new labor deal between UPS Inc. and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters have begun to emerge, including specifics on expansion of the parcel carrier’s team-driving operations and pay increases for its drivers.

The nation’s largest for-hire carriers are embracing new technologies and doing more to foster innovation with the goal of reducing the cost of moving freight and providing new service capabilities.

Our July 18 LiveOnWeb program, “Reimagining Trucking,” explored just how intensely for-hire carriers are embracing technology and innovation in a competitive marketplace. Watch the replay.

Covenant Transport Services has acquired Landair Holdings Inc. of Greeneville, Tenn., for $83 million in cash and the assumption of $15.5 million in debt.

Addison, Texas-based Daseke Inc. announced on July 2 the appointment of Bharat Mahajan as its new chief financial officer. The company has been looking for a new CFO since Scott Wheeler — who had previously held the job — became Daseke’s president earlier this year.